Improved drilling apparatus



*a est lmcu gitarre @Meer @pitite Y. SMITH, OF PITTSBIIRG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 63,319, dated iWare/L26, 1867.

IMPBOVED DRILLING APPARATUS.V

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Beit known that I, J. Y. SMITH, of Pittsburg, in the county of Alleghany, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Device for Automatically Feeding Drills in the Boring of Oil Wells, and for similar purposes; and I do hereby declare the following tofbe a full, clear, and exactI description thereof, reference being had-to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon; like letters indicating like parts Wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and usn my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

Figure 1 is a side View.

Figure 2, a vertical section; and

Figure 3, a plan view of the lower part.

My invention consists in a novel arrangement of mechanism by which the rope to which the drill is suspended shall be automatically and regularly fed out, thereby feeding the drill to its work as it descends in the process of boring or drilling.

As is well knotvn, in the boring of wells for oil or water, in sinking similar holes by means of a drill, for any purpose, it is necessary that the drill should be both rotated and also fed down as the Work progresses. These objects were formerly accomplished by hand, necessitating much care and labor. By the invention heretofore patented to Ine the rotation of the drill is secured by the machinery; and my present invention is intended to accomplish the feeding of the drill to its-work also by the movement of the machinery, and thus to dispense entirely with hand labor iu these tivo operations.

To aceomplishfthis object I construct a frame consisting of tivo upright metal plates, A, between which are mounted three or more pulleys or sheaves a, having stationary bearings, the position of these sheaves being clearly shown in g. 2. Opposite to these sheaves a are located two corresponding ones, marked b, these latter being mounted at each side in a movable frame, B, as shown in tig. 1. A screw-rod, C, having its inner end secured to the stationary lug Z, works in the lugs t, of the frame 13, by which the frame and its sheaves 6 can be adjusted nearer to or further from the stationary sheaves a. These sheaves or pulleys a and b are grooved on their periphery, and are made of a size to correspond with the size of the rope It, which is inserted between them, as shown in fig. 2, and to which the drill and its rods are attached below. It will be seen that by adjusting the sheaves b, they can be mace to press the rope R so tightly between them and the sheaves a as to hold it tightly, and prevent it from moving or being fed out except as the sheaves a and 5 revolve; and that by regulating their motion the feed of the rope and drill may be regulated as desired. To the outer end of the journals of the two extreme sheaves a, on one side, are attached gear-wheels, D, as shown in iig. 1; and in proper bearings, attached to the face ofone of the plates A, isA mounted a vertical shaft, E, having Worm-wheels, H, secured thereon in proper position to engage in and operate the wheels D, as represented. Near the lower end of this shaft E is secureda wheel, m, having a series of radially Yprojecting arms, as shown more clearly in tig. 3. The apparatus thus constructed is pivoted by means of a vtubular journal, J, to the cross-head of the engine, by which the drill is operated, 'l, in iig.v1, representing a portion of said cross-head. A plate, P, is secured rigidly to the top of the cross-head T, and between it and the frame A, from the upper surfaceof which projects a series of pins n, arranged at equal distances apart in a circle surrounding the feeding apparatus, as shown in gsi 1 and 3. These pins 1t are so located that as the apparatus is revolved on its journal J, the arms of wheel m will strike against said pins, and thus have imparted to them a rotary motion, thereby communicating motion through shaft E, worm-wheels I-I, and wheels D, to the sheaves (t, causing them to revolve, and thus to feed out the rope R, and the drill attached toit. If the apparatus is to be used in connection with my former invention alluded to, and Vby which the rope is twisted as it is fed from the windlass or drum, then in that case the rotary motion given 4to the rope will be imparted to the apparatus, and it Will be caused to rotate on its journal J by the rotary motion of the rope itself, thus giving to the feed works the necessary motion. But in ease it is desired tous@ the feeding apparatus independently of the other device, then a ratchet-plate, I, is secured to the bottom of the frame A, as shown in tig. 1, and it is operated by one or more parvis, or any equivalent device,` arranged to be operated bythe rising and falling motion of the cross-head. In order to regulate the feed to suit the various kinds of rocks to be drilled, the plate P may be provided with a series of holes, as indicated in red in iig. 3, for

the insertion of a large number of pins m, so that their number may be increased or decreased at will; and as the rotation of the shaft E andthe attendant parts is regulated by the number of these pins n, itis obvious that the feed may thus be regulated as desired. It is obvious that the plate P may be dispensed with, and the pins inserted in the cross-head itself, provided there be sufficient space to ferm a circle ofthe proper size. The pins n maybe screwed in, so as to be easily removed, or they may be pivoted on the edge of the plate P in such a manner that they can be turned down out of the way of the arms of wheel m, by which means any number of them may be usedas desired. It is obvious that my improvement may be used for feedingdrill rods, whereno rope is used, by pressing the rod or stem of the drill between the sheaves, the same as is done with the rope; and that this may be done Whether the drilling or boringr be vertical or horizontal, it only being necessary to arrange the feeding apparatus to correspond with the direction of vthe hole to be drilled. In order to 7be sure that the drill is kept fed upto its work, the gearing may be so set as to feed the drill forward considerably more than the depth of the eut to be made at each stroke, in whieh ease the sheaves; should be so adjusted as to permit them to slip a little on the drill-rod after the lat-ter has delivered its blow land as these can be. adjusted to grip the rod more or less tightly, it is obvious that the force of the blow may be thus regulated at will; and also that by arranging the parts so that the rod shall slip in the sheaves after meeting with a certain amount of resistance all danger of breaking or injuring the feeding mechanism or the drill may thus be obviated` If desirable, thefaee of the sheaves vin such eases may be cov-ered with rubber or any similar substance, to render their gripe on the'rod less rigid, and yet adhesive. By these means I am enabled to give to the drill a sure, steady, and uniform feed, and thus greatly to facilitate the operation of boring Wells.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is*- l. Automatically feeding a drill, by means of the sheaves a and b, having motion imparted to them substantially as described. d

2. I claim the adjustable sheares a, in combination with the non-adjustable sheaves b, when arranged to operate as set fort-li, for the purpose of holding` the rope R, and feeding it out as described.

I claim the combination of the shaft E, provided with the wheel m, and Worm-wheels H, with Wheels D, attached to the journals of sheaves e, all mounted in the rotating frame A, and arranged to be operated as set forth.

4l. I elaiin the use of the \\itl1indeseribed apparatus for feedingdrills, whether the same be rotated by the twist imparted to the rope, or by means oi' the ratchet lf, substantially as described.

d. Y. SMITH.

Vitnesses: e

Tiros. R. MORGAN, Ron'r. W. RACES. 

